Mariano De Cossío

Mariano De Cossío

Mariano De Cossío was a Spanish painter from Valladolid whose portraits, still lifes, and frescoes combine interwar realism with careful drawing and strong light.

Who was Mariano De Cossío?

He was a painter and drawing teacher who lived from 1890 to 1960, working mainly in Spain and the Canary Islands.

Where did he study?

He first studied architecture in Madrid, then turned to painting under Eduardo Chicharro and later refined his drawing by copying sculptures in Valladolid.

Who influenced his painting most?

The English painter Cristóbal Hall, whom he regarded as his true master, encouraged him to paint seriously. Critics also link his work to German Neue Sachlichkeit.

What is his best-known painting?

Mi mujer y mis hijos, a family scene, is generally considered his most important work. His models were his wife, children, siblings, and friends.

Where can his murals be seen?

Murals survive at the Paraninfo of the University of La Laguna (1950), the Santo Domingo de Guzmán church (1958), and the Santa Cruz de La Palma town hall (1952).

Early life and training

Mariano de Cossío Martínez-Fortún was born in Valladolid on 2 August 1890. Orphaned as a child, he was raised with his siblings by his paternal grandmother. He first studied architecture in Madrid, where his uncle’s ties to the Institución Libre de Enseñanza shaped his interests.

Painting, teaching, and recognition

Cristóbal Hall encouraged him to paint seriously, and his portraits and still lifes were shown in Madrid from 1928. In 1936 he won a drawing teacher post in Tenerife, where he spent much of his later career and painted large public murals.

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